The Orlando Magic have pulled off a strange trade, sending Arron Afflalo to the Denver Nuggets for Evan Fournier and the No. 56 pick in the 2014 Draft, set to happen tonight. The trade is bizarre on its face, as Afflalo is one of the better shooting guards in the NBA and should warrant at least a first round choice.
Orlando has agreed to send Arron Afflalo to Denver for Evan Fournier and 56th pick in 2014 Draft, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 26, 2014
The trade could just be Orlando clearing the path to playing time for Australian teenage guard Dante Exum. In addition, Fournier and the extra pick may be part of another deal in the works to move up from their No. 4 slot to ensure they get their man.
Exum is a 6-foot-6 combo guard with a knack for getting to the rim and elite lateral quickness. He is believed to be capable of playing either guard spot, and if he proves able to handle the point it would allow the Magic to shift their 2013 lottery pick, Victor Oladipo, back to his more natural shooting guard position.
With Jameer Nelson in tow last year, the backcourt often featured Afflalo at small forward where his shooting is valuable, but his size isn't ideal. If the Magic are completely sold on Exum, then that backcourt would simply be too crowded.
Even if they're able to take Exum, it's unclear why they settled for so little in return for Afflalo. Fournier is the much younger player, but his upside doesn't project to what they already had in Afflalo, who was a 42 percent shooter from beyond the arc last season. Also, as deep as this draft is, the No. 56 pick doesn't figure to yield a franchise-changing talent.
The deal for Denver is a slam dunk. If they decide to hang on to Afflalo, they've netted a Top 5 shooting guard; they also gained a serious chip to offer Minnesota in a deal for Kevin Love.
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